A tape dispenser is a device that holds a roll of tape and has a mechanism on one end to cut or shear-off the tape. Dispensers vary widely based on the tape they dispense. Abundant and most common, clear tape dispensers are made of plastic and may be disposable. Other dispensers are stationary and may have sophisticated features to control tape usage and improve ergonomics. Tape dispensers for silicon tapes with release liner backing, which separate tape layers, are wound on a tape spool and require more complex tape dispensing mechanisms to allow dispensing while stripping-off the backing. Without an auto mechanism the process of removing the backing material is time consuming and wasteful, since in trying to remove the backing, strips of tape can damage the useful part of the tape, especially when lifting the backing with a fingernail or pointed tool to separate the layers. Manual methods for removing backing takes time and resources that can account for a significant dollar value in any project. The manual removal method also requires the use of both hands. Thus, the user has to stop a job, put down tools, and often removes work gloves to separate the backing. Adverse weather conditions make this all the more difficult.
In some applications a tape dispenser becomes a tool in applying the tape. This is especially the case in a production setting when the application of tape must be done quickly, as in a shipping department. These devices must dispense the tape without more than a user applying the adhesive backing to the work piece, such as a box that must be sealed. Such tape dispensing devices often have rollers that convey the tape to a user. If the tape includes a backing material then the dispensing device must reel the backing. A reliable tape dispensing system that achieves spooling becomes particularly difficult to reduce to practice when tapes having a variety of tape widths, thicknesses, and surface coefficients are used in differing environments that vary in humidity and temperature. Therefore a need exists for a tape dispensing device that allows for the foregoing variability not to interfere with the reliable operation needed in commercial and industrial applications.